Ray’s Daily
December 26, 2019
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I hope your holidays were ae good as our Christmas has been. I ended up worn out but enjoyed three celebrations with acquaintances, friends, and family. I wish we can sustain the goodwill we experienced the last few days through the months ahead.
There has been far too much animosity in the last few years, It seems like to many are more interested in fighting than in healing. It has gotten so bad for some that they even lose faith in themselves. If we give up on who we can be we will never find the peace we deserve.
I recently excerpted the following from the Zen Habits blog that I feel is worth sharing, for the future is up to us to enjoy or regret.
How to Practice Kindness to Yourself
The practice is actually fairly simple. In all cases, you find a way to be kind to yourself. Kindness is something most of us already know how to do, because we have done it with others. We can be kind to a loved one, a stranger, a friend, a neighbor. We just need to try it with ourselves.
So here’s the rule: kindness to yourself, always. Even when you fail at the rule, be kind to yourself for failing to be kind.
Some ways to be kind to yourself:
- When you mess something up, give yourself compassion (the feeling of compassion in your heart, wishing yourself happiness), letting it sooth your pain.
- See the good heart in yourself, whenever you feel you fell short or let others down. See the good intentions, whenever you make a mess of things. See that you are basically a good person.
- When you look at your flaws (“ugh, I hate my belly”), see the beauty in them. Find gratitude for what you do have, instead of focusing on what you don’t have or don’t like. For example, isn’t it amazing to have a body? I love that I have a body that can move, breathe, see sunlight and trees, hear music and laughter, feel sun on my skin and grass under my feet. What a wonder, and we take it for granted.
- See your goodness. Be grateful for yourself. Love your good heart. Be compassionate with yourself when you’re hurting.
~~~
We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.”
Mary Dunbar
~~~
They say that a preacher’s wife is always his number one assistant. An example of this comes one Sunday morning after the preacher had just finished his sermon. He went and sat down with his wife and she asked him how he thought the church service went. The Preacher shrugged and said, “The worship was excellent, and I think the prayer and communion times went quite well, but,” he continued, “I just don’t think the sermon ever got off the ground.” The wife looked over at him, and before she could stop herself, she said, “Well, it sure did taxi long enough!”
~~~
Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
~~~
My Jewish friends remind me that they too enjoy the Christmas season.
Here is a Jewish Princess Prayer that was sent to me recently
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He leadeth me to Neiman Marcus
He giveth me energy for shopping
He restoreth my checkbook
He teacheth me to make restaurant reservations
He leadeth me past K-Mart for mine own sake
Yea, though I walk by Target
I shall not go in, for Thou art with me
Thy fashionable clothes they comfort me
Thou preparest diamond jewelry for me in the presence of mine enemies
Thou anointest my face with Chanel cosmetics
My cup overflows
Surely designer clothes shall follow me to the end of my days
And I will walk on Rodeo Drive forever.
~~~
Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There’s too much fraternizing with the enemy.
~~~
She reminds us:
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook when people take things out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can do all these things,
Then you are probably the family dog.
~~~
Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that’s how dogs spend their lives.
~~~
Two Yuppettes were shopping. When they started to discuss their home lives, one said, “Seems like all Alfred and I do anymore is fight. I’ve been so upset, I’ve lost 20 pounds.”
“Why don’t you just leave him then?” asked her friend.
“Oh! Not yet.” the first replied, “I’d like to lose at least another fifteen pounds first.”
~~~
“Someone once said that the greatest cause of ill-health is mountain-climbing over molehills.”
Maxwell Maltz
~~~
More than anything, Bob wanted to be a cowpoke. Taking pity on him, a rancher decided to hire the lad and give him a chance.
“This,” he said, showing him a rope, “is a lariat. We use it to catch cows.”
“I see,” said Bob, trying to seem knowledgeable as he examined the lariat. “And what do you use for bait?”
~~~
“Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. “
Veronica A. Shoffstall
~~~
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.
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